• EU adopts further sanctions against Russia amidst 'shaky' ceasefire in Ukraine

    Sep 07
    The European Union has adopted a series of further sanctions on Russia, as a ceasefire between the Ukranian government and pro-Russian separatists continued on Monday.

    The move comes as Russia threatened to prevent its European gas customers from re-exporting to Ukraine – a move that would effectively cut off Ukraine's gas supply.

    The new sanctions, though, have not been put into place yet, with the European Commission's Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen saying,
    "The sanctions package can be extended or stopped, depending on developments in the field."
    European Union Council President Herman van Rompuy said they were aimed at "promoting a change of course in Russia's actions destabilising eastern Ukraine".

    A ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists, who have continued to clash in the region, was described by the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as "shaky".

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited the city of Mariupol on Monday, where he announced the separatists had released some 1,200 prisoners. Announcing the release in the city, which has seen shelling by the separatists, Poroshenko went on to tweet that "Mariupol is Ukraine. We will not surrender this land to anyone."
  • New shelling threatens ceasefire in eastern Ukraine
    Reports of new shelling in eastern Ukraine have cast doubt on the 36 hour ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and pro-separatist fighters.

    The ceasefire, which was agreed Friday, held through out much of Saturday. Overnight however, shelling was reported in Mariupol and by Donetsk airport, reported Reuters. 
  • Scottish independence takes poll lead, Westminster pledges more devolution
    Scotland's referendum on independence is too close to call, with a YouGov poll putting the Yes campaign in a two point lead (51% Yes; 49% No).

    The poll, published in The Sunday Times today, reverses the No campaign's longstanding poll lead, two weeks ahead of the vote on September 18.
  • Rwandan genocide survivors welcome Norway extradition ruling
    Survivors of Rwanda's genocide have welcomed a recent Norwegian court ruling to extradite a man accused of taking part in the massacres, to stand trial in a Rwandan court.

    41-year-old Eugene Nkuranyabahizi, who has been living in Norway since 1999, was arrested in May last year, accused of participating in the massacre of Tutsis in Rwanda. The 1994 genocide saw at least 800,000 people killed.

    A court ruling on Wednesday confirmed that Nkuranyabahizi could be extradited, a decision welcomed by Rwandan genocide survivor Theogene Karasira, who said,
    "We highly welcome the ruling by the Norway court and this gives us hope that justice will prevail. We lost our loved ones and relatives to beasts like Nkuranyabahizi now it's time for them to face the law."
  • Serbs arrested for 1992 massacre in Bosnia

    Bosnian officials have arrested 13 former Serb soldiers and policemen for war crimes committed during the country's war in the nineties.

  • Disorder at immigration removal centre after death of refugee

    Riot police were called in to quell protests by angry refugees, detained in an immigration removal centre in Lincolnshire, after the death of a 26 year old Bangladeshi man.

    Rubel Ahmed died on Friday night and the Home Office told the family he committed suicide, however fellow detainees told reporters that he had been complaining of chest pains for over an hour, without receiving medical attention. His family have called for an independent inquiry into his death.

    The Home Office is said to be investigating the disturbances at Morton Hall, which saw guards withdrawing to a "place of safety", after around 30 men refused to go into their rooms.

  • Al-Shabab leader death confirmed, group names successor
    2nd lead

    Al-Shabab named its new leader Saturday after the White House and Pentagon confirmed that the leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in a US air strike south of the Somali capital Mogadishu, on September 1.

    Confirming the death of Gogane, Al Shabab named Ahmad Umar as his successor, in a statement posted online.

     "Avenging the death of our scholars and leaders is a binding obligation on our shoulders that we will never relinquish nor forget no matter how long it takes. By the permission of Allah, you will surely taste the bitter consequences of your actions," the group said.

    On Friday, the Pentagon confirmed the "U.S. military undertook operations against Godane on Sept. 1, which led to his death", adding that "removing Godane from the battlefield is a major symbolic and operational loss” to al-Shabab."
  • Sierra Leone declares 4 day Ebola 'lock down'
    2nd lead

    Sierra Leone has announced it will impose a four day Ebola 'lock down' in an effort to stem the spread of the virus across the West African state.

    A curfew will take place September 18 to 21, government officials said Friday, aimed at allowing health workers to identify individuals with early stages of the infection.

    A presidential spokesperson, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo told Reuters the curfew was necessary "to deal with the spread of Ebola once and for all".

    Sierra Leone's 'lock down' has been criticised by Medecins Sans Frontiere (MSF), stating that it will "end up driving people underground and jeopardising the trust between people and health providers".

  • Syrian jets strike Islamic State stronghold

    The Syrian regime struck the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa on Saturday, killing at least 29 people, most of whom died in a crowded bakery hit by air strikes, reported AP.

    At least 20 civilians were among the dead in the northern Syrian city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who said that the death toll was likely to rise.

    A day after US President Barack Obama announced a global coalition to fight IS, Canada announced that it will send “several dozen” members of its armed forces to work in Iraq, according to Premier Stephen Harper.

    A spokesman for Harper described the broader Canadian mission as one that provides "strategic and tactical counsel to Iraqi forces before they start tactical operations" against the Islamic State.

  • ICC Kenyatta trial faces further delays
    The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court  asked the judge to further delay the Kenyan President’s trial for crimes against humanity, as the government had failed to gather sufficient evidence for the case.

    Kenyatta was charged by the ICC, in 2012, with crimes against humanity including, deportation and rape.
  • Nuclear energy deal signed between India and Australia

    The Indian government has signed a civilian nuclear deal with Australia, allowing the export of Australian uranium to the country, which is facing increasing energy needs.

  • Syria air strikes do not need Assad approval says Cameron
    The UK could conduct air strikes in Syria against Islamic State militants without President Assad's approval said the British Prime Minister David Cameron stating that the Assad regime was not a legitimate government as it had committed war crimes.

    Asked about the legality of air strikes over Iraq and Syria under international law, Cameron told BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday:
    “I don’t think it’s that complicated because obviously the Iraqi government is a legitimate government... whereas President Assad has committed war crimes on his own people and is therefore illegitimate."
    “My view is that President Assad is part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. We have got to understand that Assad has been part of the creation of IS, rather than part of its answer," he added.

  • Germany to give Holocaust child survivors one-off payment
    The German government has agreed to make a one-off payment of financial assistance to to child survivors of the Holocaust, in an effort to tackle the effects of malnutrition and psychological trauma, reports AP.

    The agreement, which would see payments of 2500 Euros to Jewish children who were detained in concentration camps, ghettos or were in hiding for at least six months, was agreed on at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
  • Iran's Supreme Leader approves cooperation with US forces
    Iran’s Supreme Leader has approved cooperation with the US, Iraq and Kurdistan to fight against the Islamic State (IS) reports the BBC.

    Ayatollah Khamenei, the spiritual leader of Iran, authorised a top commander to co-ordinate military operations with US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces said sources in Tehran.
  • Pro-Russian militants sign truce with Ukraine as NATO forms "Response Force"
    The Ukrainian government and pro-Russian militants signed a ceasefire deal as NATO leaders agreed to form a robust alliance against Russia’s aggression on Friday.

    Though the militants said that the ceasefire had not changed their politics of advocating for separation from Ukraine, a ceasefire was agreed to commence by 15:00 GMT, reports the BBC.
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